Pycnanthemum virginianum
Pycnanthemum virginianum Virginia mountainmint
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One of eight mountainmint species native to Pennsylvania, Virginia mountainmint is a herbaceous, multi-branched perennial that grows 1 to 3 feet tall. Its square stems - green to reddish in hue - support dense clusters of tiny white flowers, each delicately speckled with purple dots.
Virginia mountainmint is beloved by pollinators for its tightly packed clusters of up to 50 tiny, ⅛ inch, two-lipped tubular white flowers that bloom at the tip of each stem. The outermost flowers in each cluster open first, followed gradually by the inner ones, creating a prolonged bloom period from July through September. This extended flowering season provides a reliable source of nectar for bees, butterflies, wasps, and other beneficial insects.
The minty, simple green leaves are stalkless, opposite, lanceolate or linear with smooth margins. During a drought, they will turn yellow and fall off.
Virginia mountainmint is found in Canada, and many parts of North America. It prefers full sun to partial shade, with almost any type of soil, in clearings, roadsides, fields, edges of streams and ponds, or meadows and praries. The plant is used in herbal teas, as a spice, and essential oils. Native Americans used the plant for herbal remedies. Though a wide range of insects and pollinators are strongly attracted to the plant, deer and rabbits and groundhogs are repelled by the minty aroma.
Habitat & Range
Occasional in moist fields, swampy areas, and moist woods.
Found in most of the state, except the north.
Range: Native to eastern and central North America, ranging from Ontario and Quebec in Canada south to Georgia and Alabama, and west to Oklahoma, Missouri, and Minnesota.
| EMP: | FAC |
|---|---|
| NCNE: | FACW |
Phenology
Flowers July to Septemer.
Characteristics
Inflorescence crowded, head-like clusters (rounded cymes) terminating the main stem and branches or in axils of upper leaves; dense flower heads with up to 50 tiny flowers per flower head, flower heads up to ¾″ across
Flowers small, tubular, two-lipped; upper lip two-lobed, lower lip three-lobed; corolla white with lavender or purple spots; 4 white stamens, sometimes purple-tipped; up to ⅛″ long
Leaves simple, opposite, narrow, linear-lanceolate, sessile; margins entire; smooth above, pubescent on the veins below
Stems square, green or reddish, strongly angled, with scattered white hairs along the ridges.
Fruit indehiscent dry, ovoid nutlets, usually black; each flower has 4 nutlets; one seed per nutlet
Height 1 to 3 feet
Plant Codes
S-rank: S5 (Secure)
G-rank: G5 (Secure)
Faunal Associations
The vast quantity of tiny flowers attract many pollinators including, bees, wasps, butterflies, beetles and moths. Leaf chewing insects are repelled by the mint in the leaves as are the animals that like to browse such as deer, rabbits and groundhogs.
Pycnanthemum virginianum Virginia mountainmint
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